MinaFlow is a macOS voice-dictation app that converts live speech into clean, grammar-corrected text and types it at the cursor in any Mac application, triggered by holding the Right Command key.
What is MinaFlow?
MinaFlow is a voice-typing utility for macOS that takes live microphone speech as input and outputs polished text directly into whichever app has focus. Hold Right Command (the default, switchable to Fn, Right Option, or Option-Space), speak naturally with pauses and filler words, then release — MinaFlow removes filler, fixes grammar, and streams the cleaned sentence in place, with no separate window or copy-paste step. It is a native Swift app built on Apple accessibility APIs and ships as a universal build for Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4) and Intel Macs. It is sold direct by its developer at minaflow.krishra.com.
Key Features
- Hold-to-talk dictation — Right Command (⌘) is the default trigger, switchable to Fn, Right Option, or Option-Space; text appears at the cursor in Slack, Apple Mail, VS Code, Chrome, Notion, Safari, Cursor, Notes, and Terminal.
- Filler removal and grammar correction — raw speech such as "hey uh was just wondering if like maybe we can reschedule the call to three pm" is typed out as "Can we reschedule our call to 3:00 PM?", including number and time formatting.
- Highlight-to-Edit — select a sentence in Slack or Mail, hold Right ⌘, and say "make this shorter" or "fix grammar"; MinaFlow replaces the selection in place, e.g. "Please let me know your thoughts on this matter whenever convenient" becomes "Thoughts on this?".
- Spoken Shortcuts — custom trigger phrases expand into full text or links, such as "share my calendly" becoming calendly.com/user/30min, "drop meet link" becoming a Google Meet URL, or "insert sign off" producing a saved signature. Shortcuts are created with a trigger phrase plus expanded text field.
- Tab context and custom vocabulary — MinaFlow reads the active browser URL in Safari, Chrome, Arc, and Brave so it knows you are discussing code, and a vocabulary boost list (Kubernetes, PostgreSQL, GraphQL, TypeScript, Supabase) spells company acronyms and stack names correctly.
- Language coverage — 100+ languages with automatic detection, compared against roughly 40 for Apple Dictation in the site's own table.
- Audio chimes and flexible HUD — a macOS Tink plays when recording starts and a Pop when text is pasted, and the on-screen HUD can sit as a bottom pill or in the camera notch with a live soundwave.
- Ephemeral audio — the app advertises zero audio storage and works locally as a native Swift build with no browser extension or background bloat.
Who is it for?
- Mac developers and technical writers: dictate pull-request comments or Linear tickets while tab context and vocabulary boosts turn "merge this to kube and fix postgres bug" into "Merge this to Kubernetes and resolve the PostgreSQL database bug."
- Founders and sales people: fire saved Spoken Shortcuts to paste Calendly links, meeting URLs, or addresses into email and chat without searching for them.
- Anyone writing a lot of Slack or email messages: hold Right ⌘, ramble through a messy first draft, and get an edited sentence pasted straight into the thread.
- Multilingual users: dictate in any of the 100+ auto-detected languages without changing settings.
What can you do with MinaFlow?
- Chat and email drafting: speak an unstructured thought in Slack or Mail and receive punctuation-corrected prose at the cursor, with no clipboard step.
- Editing existing text: highlight a wordy sentence anywhere and say "make it 3 words" to rewrite it in place.
- Reusing frequent content: store your scheduling link, meeting link, and sign-off as trigger phrases and paste them by voice.
- Code-adjacent writing: dictate in VS Code, Cursor, or Terminal while the app reads the active URL to keep repository and framework names spelled correctly.
How does MinaFlow work?
- Download
MinaFlow.dmg, open the disk image, and drag MinaFlow.app into the Applications folder.
- Grant Accessibility permission when prompted (System Settings, then Accessibility) so the app can listen for the hotkey and paste text at the cursor.
- Click the MinaFlow wave icon in the menu bar, open Settings (⌘,), and paste a free Groq API key, then dictate in any app.
Pricing
MinaFlow runs a free trial with 20 cloud dictations and no credit card, followed by a one-time lifetime license: $1.99 for the first 100 users, then $5. The license includes automatic background updates, Highlight-to-Edit, and Spoken Shortcuts. Unlimited dictation at $0 per month comes from a Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) setup with a free Groq API key rather than a paid subscription, which the site contrasts with Wispr Flow at $12 to $15 per month. A creator program gives 100% off the lifetime license (or a refund) to users who reach 1,000 views on X, TikTok, or YouTube.
Alternatives
- Wispr Flow — subscription-based Mac dictation listed at $12 to $15 per month.
- Apple Dictation — free, built into macOS, but roughly 40 languages and no Highlight-to-Edit or voice shortcuts per the comparison table.
- MacWhisper — one-time purchase in the €29 to €59 range, described as heavier on battery and RAM with 1.5 to 5.0 second latency.
- Superwhisper — another Mac dictation tool named in MinaFlow's own FAQ comparison.
FAQ
How is MinaFlow only $1.99 with no monthly subscription?
It uses a Bring Your Own Key model: you connect your own free Groq API key, so dictation runs on your key instead of the developer's paid servers. The $1.99 is a one-time license for the macOS app itself, covering the first 100 users before the price moves to $5.
Is there a free plan?
There is a free trial rather than a permanent free tier. It includes 20 instant cloud dictations with no card required and no configuration. After that you need the lifetime license ($1.99 for the first 100 users, then $5) plus a free Groq API key for unlimited dictation.
Does MinaFlow work in every app on my Mac?
Yes, it types anywhere a cursor can go — Slack, Apple Mail, VS Code, Chrome, Notion, Safari, Cursor, Notes, and Terminal — with no browser extension. It requires Accessibility permission in System Settings, and it runs on Apple Silicon (M1 through M4) and Intel Macs.
Can I customize hotkeys and use my own vocabulary?
Yes. The default Right ⌘ hotkey can be switched to Fn, Right Option, or Option-Space, and the vocabulary list can be primed with company acronyms and stack names such as Kubernetes, PostgreSQL, GraphQL, TypeScript, and Supabase so they are spelled correctly.
Is my audio stored?
The app advertises zero audio retention, describing audio as ephemeral, and it does not run audio through the developer's own cloud servers — dictation uses the Groq API key you supply. Support questions go to [email protected].
